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Fulham and Chelsea will renew their west London rivalry on Monday night when the two sides begin their 2026-27 Premier League campaigns at Craven Cottage.
Both clubs enter the new season under new management, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking charge of Fulham following Marco Silva's departure, while Xabi Alonso has replaced Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Fulham vs Chelsea key stats
- Fulham are unbeaten in their last five matches and won the most recent Craven Cottage derby 2-1 in January.
- The Cottagers have won two of their last four meetings with Chelsea after managing just one victory in the previous 18.
- Only two of Chelsea's last eight managers have won their first Premier League game in charge.
- The Blues finished 10th last season, 33 points behind champions Arsenal.
- Both Fulham and Chelsea finished last season on 52 points.
Fulham vs Chelsea preview: Which new manager will get off to a winning start?
Chelsea vs Fulham — Tale of the Tape
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After successive 11th-placed finishes in the Premier League, Marco Silva left Fulham in June following five years at the helm, with the Portuguese coach returning to his homeland to take charge of Benfica.
Silva transformed the Cottagers from a Championship yo-yo club into an established Premier League side, and Fulham have now turned to Alvaro Arbeloa in the hope that the Spaniard can take them to the next level and mount a challenge for European football, having last competed in Europe during the 2011-12 season.
Coincidentally, Arbeloa arrives in west London after a short spell as Real Madrid manager, having replaced Chelsea's new boss Xabi Alonso at the Spanish giants.
The former full-back has already welcomed several new arrivals, including Cesaer Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia from his former club, as well as midfielder Shea Charles from Southampton.
Garcia has signed a five-year contract and became Fulham's club-record signing following his £34m move to Craven Cottage.
As for Chelsea, they have undergone yet another managerial change, with Alonso becoming the Blues' 11th different permanent manager in the last 10 years.
The former Bayer Leverkusen boss has had to contend with a mixed pre-season, which included defeats to Tottenham and Juventus, while the club have also had to remain active in the transfer marke.
Chelsea head into the new Premier League campaign with a squad of around 40 players and will be keen to reduce that number to a more manageable 25-man group, particularly with no European football on the schedule this season.
Mykhailo Mudryk also returned to action during pre-season after 20 months on the sidelines due to a drug suspension, although the winger remains among a number of players whose futures are uncertain.
Liam Delap and Axel Disasi are two more players who appear unlikely to feature under Alonso and could depart before the transfer window slams shut.
Delap only joined Chelsea 14 months ago but has since lost his number nine shirt to Joao Pedro, who arrived around the same time but has impressed more since moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will therefore be hoping their lack of European commitments can work in their favour as they look to improve on last season's 10th-placed finish and secure a second top-four finish in five seasons.
Fulham v Chelsea form guide & betting tips
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Whispers predicts: Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
Fulham have enjoyed the better of this fixture in recent meetings, including a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage in January, but we expect Chelsea to begin the new campaign with a narrow victory.
Chelsea are priced at 17/20 to win, while our 1-2 scoreline prediction is available at 17/2.
With that said, with both sides finishing last season on 52 points, we expect Fulham to cause problems at the other end and get on the scoresheet.
Both Teams to Score is priced at 4/7, while Over 2.5 Goals is available at 8/13.
> Chelsea to win at 17/20 | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS at 4/7 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 8/13 | Likelihood: Possible
> Score prediction of 1-2 at 17/2 | Likelihood: Longshot